Better surely the sword and spear.
“Is it thus,” asked Julian, turning to Otto, “that the women of the enemy, now captives, or now slaves, would serve in barbarian halls and camps?”
“More likely, all would serve nude, save for their collars,” said Otto.
Tuvo Ausonius snapped his fingers and Sesella, blushing, dropped aside her silk.
A moment later Renata, at the merest glance from Otto, discarded her slave tunic. “Yes, Dira!” she whispered. “Yes!”
Flora was already unclad, save for the band on her neck, closed by the small stout lock, in the back.
“Please, no, Master,” said Gerune, standing before Julian.
“You were a woman of the Ortungs, of the Drisriaks,” said Julian. “Indeed you were a princess of those tribes.”
“Please, no, Master,” begged Gerune.
“Would women of the empire not serve thusly at given feasts in the camps and halls of the Ortungs, of the Drisriaks?” inquired Julian.
“Yes, Master,” she said, tears in her eyes.
“Strip,” said Julian.
“Yes, Master,” she said.
“Now continue serving,” he said.
“Yes, Master,” she said. “Now I know I am a slave,” she said.
Later, over liqueurs, Julian called one of the guards to him.
“I mentioned to you, earlier,” he said, “that I had a surprise in store for you.”
“Yes?” said Otto.
The guard returned in a moment, bearing the cylindrical leather case which had been borne earlier by the magistrate, he preceded by the twelve lictors. It had been recovered from the outer bailey, where it had fallen.
Julian removed the cap and took from the case a rolled paper, bound with a ribbon and seal.
“Do you know the seal?” asked Julian.
“No,” said Otto.
“It is the seal of the imperial war office,” he said. He broke the seal and spread the paper, flat, it curling up at the ends, on the table.
“It is your commission,” said Julian.
“Is it in order?” inquired Otto.
“Yes,” said Julian. “They would not have dared, under the circumstances, it having been requested by me, not to grant the commission. Too, it would not have been issued from the war office had the authorizations not been in place. Copies of this, too, as a matter of routine, will be filed in various offices, on numerous worlds, wherever it might be thought expedient to check credentials, particularly if a breakdown in communications occurred with the capital world. In short, the commission is authentic. It is merely they had not expected it to be received. Our friend, Tuvo Ausonius, was to have seen to that, and, if that failed, the magistrate and his henchmen, serving as lictors, were to make certain of the matter.”
“Make your mark here,” said Julian.
A pen was brought, and Otto made a mark on the paper, where Julian indicated. Otto, raised in a festung village on Tangara, could neither read nor write. In this he did not differ from millions throughout the empire. His mark was a crudely drawn, very carefully drawn, very slowly drawn, spear.
“Gerune, bring drink!” said Julian.
He was standing.
Gerune hurried forward and filled the goblets of the men.
“Captain!” said Julian, lifting his goblet.
“Captain!” said Tuvo Ausonius, rising to his feet.
“My thanks,” said Otto, acknowledging the toast.
The three men drank.
Though it seemed a small thing, and one is not to be blamed for thinking little of such things at the time, this was an evening, and a moment, which later assumed some importance in the history of the empire. Some have seen it as one of those mysterious hinges on which fate is sometimes, at a much later date, noted to have turned.
“It is late!” said Julian.
“Gather up your things,” said Tuvo Ausonius to Sesella.
“Master?” she asked, finding the envelope which he had given into her hands earlier in the afternoon, when he had ordered her from the room, shortly before he, Julian and Otto, following Julian, had vacated the same room, which shortly thereafter had been rocked with an explosion. Sesella had placed the envelope within the same garb, but had not raised the question of its contents. If she had been a free woman it would not have been appropriate for her to have opened it, and as a slave, of course, it would have been far less appropriate. Indeed, as a slave, she would not have dared to open it. A slave knows her place, and, under certain circumstances, fears for her very skin and life. Too, it may be recalled that she and Tuvo Ausonius had been kept separated after their arrest until the supper of this evening. Little opportunity had occurred at supper to bring up the matter, and, in any event, it would not, even had she not been a mere slave, have seemed appropriate to have done so. Now, however, she lifted the envelope. Should it, whatever it might be, whatever its contents might be, be returned to Tuvo Ausonius, or should she keep it with the same garb? Obviously there was no place to keep it in the bit of silk in her grasp.
“May I?” asked Julian, extending his hand.
“Yes, Milord,” said Tuvo Ausonius, reddening slightly.
Sesella surrendered the envelope to Julian and he opened it, and perused the contents.
“Person Ausonius, it seems,” said Julian to the slave Sesella, now kneeling before him, “suspected the treachery of Iaachus, arbiter of protocol, or that of someone purportedly acting on his behalf. He had apparently intended to risk opening the case while unattended, in the event his suspicions were justified. But he had with him a slave, of whom, despite the fact she was a mere slave, he had, it seems, made the mistake of permitting himself to grow fond.”
Sesella threw a wild, joyful glance at Tuvo Ausonius, but he glared at her, angrily, with embarrassed savagery, and she instantly lowered her head, but seemed to smile.
“These papers,” said Julian, “pertain to such a slave.”
Sesella lifted her head.
“Flora,” said Julian.
The slave girl addressed was kneeling to one side.
“Master?” she said.
“You have had some training in the law, have you not?” asked Julian.
“Yes, Master.”
“To be sure,” said Julian, “given your nature, it would have been better had you been trained as a slave girl from the cradle.”
“Yes, Master,” she said.
“What do you think is the purport of these papers?” asked Julian.
“They are doubtless papers of manumission, Master,” said Flora.
“No!” protested Sesella.
“It is clear you are from Terennia,” smiled Julian.
“Master?” asked Flora.
“Do you not understand that lovely Sesella is as much a slave girl as you?”
“Yes, Master,” said Flora.
“Do you think that slave girls are freed?” he asked.
“No, Master,” she said.
“Do you think these are papers of manumission?” Julian asked Sesella.
“I trust not, Master,” she said.
“The purport of these papers,” said Julian, “is that his wealth, and estate, what they are, and certain funds supposed to have been deposited on Miton in his name, were to be used to secure you a light slavery and a kind master.”
“Ah,” said Sesella.
“Incidentally, Person Ausonius,” said Julian, “I rather suspect that the funds supposed to have been deposited for you on Miton have not been so deposited.”
Tuvo Ausonius nodded.
One who has been blasted to atoms had little need of such resources.
“What think you of the generosity of your master?” asked Julian.